Process for producing gas from emulsified mixtures



Nov. 3, 1936.

R. H. RUSSELL PROCESS FOR PRODUCING GAS FROM EMULSIFIED MIXTURES Original Filed Feb. 4, 1950 70 Stack L e9 2 Sheets-Sheet l (6 7a 6 7 J19 a a ss e k from Coal or W2 Eer Gas filue 45 fic'mshea? Gas Patented- Nov- I UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE PROCESS FOR rnonocmo GAS FROM EMULSIFIED MIXTURES Robert H. Russell, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Gas Fuel Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Original application February 4, 1930, Serial No. 425,857. Divided and this application, March 25, 1931, Serial No. 525,294

6 Claims. (01. 48-197) This invention relates to the production of gas tion as catalyzing means as well as for ionization from an emulsion including hydrocarbons, and purposes in the production of a fixed gas. to a novel method'and-apparatus for making and The apparatus employed for producing an treating gas derived from such an emulsion. The emulsion of the typeused in the present invenpresent application is a division of my application, is-disclosed in the above mentioned appli- 5 tion Serial No. 425,857, filed February4th, 1930. cation and comprises a closed chamber capable It is well known that at the present time, oil of withstanding relatively high super-atmospheric emulsions are generally treated in order to depr s u es, a d prov w horizontally hydrate the same. The dehydration method may posed a abl shaft e h vin lo i s a I 10 be classified into six groups, as follows: 1, gravlength a multiplicity of agitating blades or arms 1U ity settling; 2, heat treatment; 3, electrical treatthat violently s y fluids within the casingment; 4, chemical treatment; 5, centrifugal treat- In acc d nce w t t p t invention, for ment; and 6, filtration. It has been found necexample, low grade hydr c rb such as heavy essary to treat emulsified oils by such methods crude petroleu o fi d emulsions, still bottoms before subjecting the oil to refining processes. and the l e, which are ordinarily unsuitable or 15 'I have found that in processing relatively heavy uneoonomioal o se in making s a e i rooils, for instance, low grade hydrocarbons, such uc d, int t casing alone wi W r and a as heavy crude petroleum, oil field emulsions; uitab e gas, uch as air. still bottoms and the like, it is advantageous to If e mixing process is C d on as a batch 2o thoroughly mix the same with aqueous fluids, ope at a suitable quantity of Compressed air providing the mixture is admixed with a gaseous or other suitable gas will be introduced into the agent such as air, CO2 or the like. For example, I in andft the desired r po ions f l, have discovered that if heavy hydrocarbons, water aqueous liquid a gas are introduced, e s a s and a suitable gas are thoroughly agitated in the w be rapidly rotated to cause e ade to v opresence of one another under super-atmospheric y agitate the contents of the casing, 50 as to 25 pressure, that an emulsion will result, i hi h force the constituents to coalesce and tenaciously each globule of gas or other elastic fluid i t d adhere to one another. Under the microscope it with a film of water arranged within a film or has been found that the gas, such due to coating of the oil, and this emulsion will remain the agitation, Will disperse and form gl u or in such condition indefinitely, so that it may be bubbles, each one o which will be coated it a 30 immediately or subsequently processed to produce film or water contained-within a skin of oil, and a fixed gas, it has been found that an emulsion of this na- The primary object of th invention is t pro. ture will remain in the emulsified condition in- 'vide a process in which still bottoms'or the like definitely. Actually, such an emulsion has 5 are employed in the manufacture of an emulsion maimed in Stable condition for a Period of more particularly suitable for gas producing purpose than a year without any noticeable stratification. Another object is to furnish a process in which The amounts of air and Water used in the e an emulsion of t above mentioned nature can sion manufacturingv phase of the invention, will not only be heated for conversion purposes, but and depend on the characteristics of the 40 may be heated by catalytic means, which func- O11 processed tions to ionize the fluid treated. g i z ig z contmuously With the oing objects outlined and with ea Y a c Yea en other objectsin view which will appearas the I may state however that m operatmg the description proceeds the invention consists in agitator whether for the batch or continuous c th '1, vater nd as should be introthe novel features hereinafter described, in depro 858 e 01 a g 45 w duced in proper proportions, and in the casing tam mustrated m the accompanymg urawmgs' should be operated upon under pressure to proand more Partlcularly Pointed t in the duce the emulsion, which may be subsequently pended uscd as charging stock for gas making. 0. Referring to the d a n s, As heretofore stated, an emulsion manufaci 1 is a diagra m view of an apparatus tured as abore outlined, is especially suitable for designed to use the emulsion for the manufacthe production of an oil gas. For example, as ture of oil gas. shown in Fig. 1. the emulsion from the mixer l5, Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of an appamay be discharged by way of pipe 4|, into a suitratus in which electric heating elements funcable storage tank 64, from which it is forced by 55 a pump 65 through a conduit 66, into a manifold 61 having outlet branches 68 leading to atomizers 69. These atomizers discharge into a chamber 10, the interior of which may be heated by any suitable means, for the purpose of cracking the mixture into a fixed gas. In this procedure, I prefer to mix the emulsion as it enters the chamber 10 with some other suitable gaseous agent such as coal or water gas, natural gas, or the like. For instance, coal or water gas may be drawn through a pipe line H, and forced-by a pump 12 into a conduit 13 having branches 14 and 15 which lead to heat exchangers 16, in which the temperature of the coal or water gas is raised. From these exchangers, the gas passes by way of pipes 11 to other heat exchangers 1B, and from the latter, it passes through conduits 19 into a manifold which preferably surrounds the heating chamber 10. From the manifold, the added gas passes by way of branches 8I into the atomizers 69, and as the added gas is highly heated in this way while it is traveling through the atomizers, it will be understood that in the latter, it will impart its heat units to the emulsion from the mixer I5.

As before stated, in chamber 10, the mixture of highly heated gas and emulsion will be subjected to additional heat supplied by any suitable means, and the heat will be sufficient to convert the mixture in the chamber 10 into a fixed gas. If desired a catalyzer may be introduced into the chamber 10 to aid the reaction. This highly heated gas will be discharged from the chamber 10 by way of outlet pipes 82, and after passing through the heat exchangers 18, will enter the branches -83 which lead it to the finished .gas line 85.

If the chamber 10 is heated by burning, for instance, water gas, such gas, may enter the system by way of pipe 85 which connects with a manifold 86 ,that communicates with burners (not shown), within the gas producer. The gaseous products of combustion from these burners is kept from contact with the gas produced by any suitable means, and such products of combustion are discharged at the top of the producer by means of conduits 8.1 which lead to the heat exchangers 16. From the latter, the products of combustion are led by way of pipes 88 to a line 89 that is joined to the stack of the plant.

It will be clear to those skilled in the art that the hot finished gas passing through the heat exchangers 18, and the hot products of combustion passing through the exchangers 16, will function to highly preheat the cold water or other gas which enters the system through the pipe 1I before such gas reaches the manifold 80, and of course, in the heat exchangers, the finished gas and products of combustion will be cooled.

In an alternative method, some gas, such as natural gas, water gas, etc., is substituted for the heated air in the mixer, and additional heated gas at a temperature of 1000' F. to 1200 F. is used in the atomizers I10, Fig. 2, and this hot gas will be supplied to the atomizers by means of inlets I1I, so that in the atomizers, it will be mixed with the emulsion coming from the mixer. The inlets I'll may be supplied with this hot gas from the outlet I12 of a reaction chamber I13,

and it will be fed by a rotary compressor I14 through an electrically heated chamber I15, which communicates with'a manifold I16, leading to the inlets I1I.

is electrically connected to the positive side of the current supply, an electro-static field is produced between the heat element and the plate. The fixed or semi-fixed gas, as it rises through this electro-st'atic field, is ionized and becomes a permanent gas, which may be stored in any conventional manner, and it is a portion of this ionized gas which is preferably recycled by means of the compressor I14, and used as the added gas which is injected into the atomized and expanded compound in the atomizers I10.

From the foregoing it will'be understood that I have devised novel methods and apparatus for.

producing gas from an emulsion of hydrocarbons, air or other gas, and an aqueous liquid; such gas may be used for illumination, heating, etc.

The invention permits the production of a gas from low grade hydrocarbons, such as heavy crude petroleum, oil field emulsions, still bottoms and the like, which are ordinarily unsuited for such use.

The treatment outlinedherein produces a practically permanent gas, which contains, due to the breaking up of the water, a large portion of the oxygen necessary to produce complete combustion. This permanent gas may be passed to a burner proper, where additional heated air under pressure, in amount sufficient to produce complete combustion, is admixed with the same.

In reference to the terms blue water gas and water gas mentioned above, it will be noted that blue water gas is a well known term used in the art to designate water gas which does not give a luminous flame, as distinguished from the ordinary carbureted water gas.

While I have disclosed the principle of my invention, as well as my methods and apparatus in such manner that they may be readily understood by those skilled in the art, I am aware that changes may be made in the details disclosed, without departing from the spirit of the invention, as expressed in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a process for making oil gas from an emulsified mixture comprising an aqueous liquid, low grade and high specific gravity hydrocarbons and a gas under superatmospheric pressure, substantially permanent in character and in which the components do not tend to separate, the steps of admixing said mixture with a highly heated gas, atomizing said admixture into a heating zone, and subjecting said admixture in said zone to sufficient heat to convert the admixture into a fixed gas.

2. In a process of the character described, producing a substantially permanent emulsified mixture comprising a multiplicity of minute gas globules surrounded by films of water and low grade and high specific gravity hydrocarbons in the order named, introducing said mixture under superatmospheric pressure into a heating zone,

admixing ahighly heated combustible gas with said mixture before introducing the admixture into the zone, and subjecting the admixture in said zone to sufficient heat to convert the admixture into an oil gas.

3. In a process of the character described producing an emulsified mixture comprising an aqueous liquid, low grade and high specific gravity hydrocarbons and a gas under 'superatmospheric pressure, substantially permanent in character and in which the components do not tend to sepa-' rate, admixing said mixture with a highlyheated combustible gas derived from carbonaceous material, introducing the admixture under superatmospheric pressure into a heating zone, and

ceous material, introducing the admixture 'under' superatmospheric pressure into a heating zone,

heating the admixture in said zone to a temperature suflicient to convert the admixture into a fixed oil gas, discharging the hot oil gas from aceta es 3 said zone, and utilizing the discharged gas to preheat the gas derived from carbonaceous materiai before the last-mentioned gas is admixed with said mixture. 7

5. In a process of the character described producing a substantially permanent emulsified mixture comprising a multiplicity of minute gas globules surrounded by' films of water and low grade and high specific gravity hydrocarbons in the order named, said gas globules being of the group consisting of air, carbon dioxide, natural gas or water gas, mixing said emulsified mixture with a highly heated combustible gas of the group consisting oi! coal gas, natural gas or water gas, and subjecting said admixture to sufiicient heat to convert the same into a permanent combustible gas.

6. In a process of the character described, producing a substantially permanent emulsified mixture comprising a multiplicity of minute gas globules surrounded by'fllms of water and low grade, high specific gravity hydrocarbons in the order named; admixing said mixture with a com-' bustible gas derived from carbonaceous material, atomizing the admixture in highly heated condition and under pressure into'a heating zone, and subjecting the admixture in said zone to suflicient heat to convert the same into a fixed oil as.

ROBERT H. RUSSELL. 

